In their second to last home game of the regular season, the Taft varsity boys basketball team showed the flair for coming back. It was not enough in a 70-59 loss to the Wasco Tigers Friday night.

Trailing 4-0 to begin the game, the Wildcats didn't score their first points until the 5:32 mark when Jacob Lopez scored on a jumper. Lopez would narrow the deficit to one at 5-4 before the Tigers took off with seven straight points. Taft narrowed the deficit to 12-9 before the Tigers pulled ahead to lead 17-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Wasco took off again in the second quarter outscoring Taft 9-3. The only Wildcat points during that stretch came on Steven Gee's three-pointer. The Wildcats fought back to cut the lead down to four thanks in part to Junior Tuuamalemalo's layup.

However, the Tigers reeled off the final ten points of the half to lead by 14 at the break.

Gee got the Wildcats back into the game early in the third quarter by scoring nine straight points. After Lopez had cut the lead down to three, Wasco answered with a three-pointer. After Taft trimmed the lead back to three at 42-39, the teams traded points until Taft scored three unanswered points to close out the quarter. By going on the run, Taft trailed 50-45.

After Wasco opened the final quarter with a three-pointer, Tuuamalemalo scored four straight points to trim the lead to four. After the teams traded baskets, the Tigers scored ten out of the next 11 points. Taft finally broke the run late in the fourth quarter. Taft added on five more points but the Tigers countered with four to win.